Cornelis Hulsman, editor in chief of the Arab West report and a correspondent for Christianity Today, is currently in Egypt guiding a Dutch tour group.

He reports by mobile phone that many churches located outside the major cities of Cairo, Alexandria, and Suez were able to hold services today, Sunday, Jan. 30. He said church leaders who have spoken to him for the most part are asking Egyptian Christians to stay in their homes and not to take part in the protest movement that is shaking Egypt to its core.

But there is a problem. To be blunt about it, what is happening with the 10 percent of Egypt that is part of the ancient Coptic Church, the church that has suffered so much in recent weeks and months and for ages and ages before that? Is there some chance that various camps of Islamists could find unity in opposition to a common enemy? Yes, I am well aware that many Muslims in Egypt understand the importance of the Copts to their land and want to protect them, at least in some kind of subservient cultural niche.

Ethiopian officials and non-governmental groups in the country are backing Egypt’s Coptic Christians who are facing danger during the current political crisis in the country, according to local sources. Egypt’s ancient Coptic Christian minority has been targeted by Egyptian Muslim fundamentalists in recent months.

Who doesn't love to watch the lovable Duggar family as they share with viewers their love for one another and the joys and trials of living in a very large family. I can honestly say I haven't personally met one person who doesn't love their show, which is exactly why I wanted to give you a TIVO alert as soon as I could because tonight on "19 Kids and Counting" part of the episode is going to show some of the Duggar clan coming to volunteer at The Voice of the Martyrs.

The show will air at 10:30 PM Eastern time, on the Discovery Health channel.

Please click here to learn more about this wonderful family and their program.

The following is from the book Extreme Devotion and given some of the recent news about persecution happening to our brothers and sisters in Laos, I'd like to ask you to pray for Laos today, and more specifically ask the Lord to change the heart of the leaders of that country so that they would see the love of Christ.

The ominous red seal at the bottom of the page bore the insignia of the district Communist office for that area of Laos. For local Christians, the words were even more ominous.

“If any person, any tribe, any family is deceived to believe in other religions, such as Christianity or others, they must return to the religion in which they believed,” the document stated. “It is forbidden to propagate that religion. On the contrary, those believers will have to move and live in the new areas. If there is any village or family who believes in another religion . . . party committee members must collect the statistics and make a list of those groups of people . . . and send it to the Office for the Front for Construction. We would like to know especially how many believe in Jesus and are Christians in the district.” The document dated July 18, 1996 was signed by the “Standing Committee of the Front for Construction.”

More recently Laotian Christians have been forced, often at gunpoint, to sign a document renouncing their conversion to Christianity. For the atheistic government, it seems that any religion is more acceptable than the worship of Jesus Christ.

Despite the government’s efforts, the church in Laos is growing as Christians boldly share their faith.

When human authority contradicts God’s commands, a line is drawn; a choice must be made. Either we will resign to human authority or align ourselves with God’s commands and risk the consequences. While peace is our ultimate aim, we cannot reorder our priorities around human demands. For example, the United States government has declared prayer as an illegal activity on school grounds. However, they cannot really take prayer away from students and faculty who wish to exercise communion with their God. Others may decree a similar or worse religious restraint. However, God overrides their authority, as he alone is king over the human heart. We can confidently choose to obey God rather than human authority as an act of our will.

January 28, 2011

It's not everyday that we see a prestigious paper like The Wall Street Journal discussing Christian persecution, so I wanted to bring this to your attention so that you may go over and read the full article they just posted on January 27th.

KABUL—The U.S. government and some international Christian organizations are pressing Afghanistan to release two men who converted to Christianity, were arrested on apostasy charges, and could face the death penalty if convicted.

The U.S. has called on Afghan authorities to respect the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a document endorsed by Afghanistan that upholds freedom of religion. "We continue to call for their release, and frequently raise this issue with the highest levels of the government of Afghanistan, expressing our strong concern," said Caitlin Hayden, spokeswoman of the U.S. Embassy in Kabul.

Note: You must log in to WSJ to read the full article and/or subscribe.

Earlier today it was announced on the Voice of the Martyrs Facebook account that one of the prisoners who has been highlighted for many months on Prisoner Alert.com, has now been freed!

GREAT NEWS: We're thrilled to share this photo of Dmitry "David" Shestakov and his three daughters after his release from prison in Uzbekistan this month. Some of you will recognize his daughter, Sasha, from VOM's video for the 2010 International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church.

THANK YOU to all those who prayed... for Pastor Shestakov and his family, and those who sent him letters of encouragement via www.PrisonerAlert.com.

Mission Network News also has a wonderful article on David's release. Click here to read!

Thank you all again for your faithful support of The Voice of the Martyrs, not only with your generous giving, but also by taking time to pray and write prisoners who are suffering for their faith in Jesus. Doesn't David's smile just brighten your day!!!

One of the things I'd love to encourage you all in this year, since it's still pretty close to the first of the year, is to take some time to not only listen to The Voice of the Martyrs Persecution Podcast, but to subscribe to it at iTunes, and then of course, listen faithfully and share it with your friends and social media networks.

On this weeks show we ask for prayer for Asia Bibi, believers in Eritrea and how believers are shaken due to another Christian dying in custody, and Indonesia.

You may click here to read a fuller description of each nations prayer needs.

Also, please don't miss listening to this episode as we learn more about the theology of suffering from Darek Jarmola, Professor of Religion at Oklahoma Wesleyan University.

January 27, 2011

“I admire Communists.” The words seemed strange from a pastor who spent fourteen years in Communist prisons, but Richard Wurmbrand was sincere when he said them.

“Many Communists were willing to die to defend their ‘Utopia.’ They were more committed to their cause than some I met in churches.”

In every enemy Pastor Wurmbrand saw a potential friend and a potential Christian. By loving his opponents, he not only saw many come to know Christ but also increased his opportunities to witness.

“When they called me a ‘dirty Jew’ and told everyone not to read my books, people immediately went out to see what this ‘dirty Jew’ had to say,” he chuckled. “I welcome anyone who has offense against me. Others are not always interested in what you have to say. You need to challenge them to the truth before you share your beliefs. To do this you must understand where they are coming from and be able to speak intelligently. But we must also remember to always speak in love.”

Pastor Wurmbrand’s words were not some high-minded ideal that he didn’t exemplify. He and his wife Sabina welcomed into their home a Nazi officer who worked at the very concentration camp where all of Sabina’s family had been exterminated. When the officer saw their forgiveness and love for him, he was won into the kingdom.

Note: These statements were made during one of Pastor Wurmbrand’s final interviews prior to his death in February, 2001.

Jesus taught us that others would recognize our faith by our love—especially when it comes to dealing with the opposition. How we treat our enemies is equally important as how we treat those in our own Christian family. In fact, our response to criticism often makes a greater statement for Christianity than any other example. When believers put this powerful principle of the Christian faith into practice, they distinguish themselves from the rest of the world. The natural response to opposition is to refute it or return the favor. Instead, believers strive to understand their enemies, not undermine them. Opposition, when put into this perspective, is welcomed as an opportunity to exercise faith and imitate Christ’s commands.

January 26, 2011

The following is news from CBN News that concerning persecution. An American congressman wants the U.S. to help protect religious minorities in the Middle East and South Central Asia.

Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., has introduced legislation calling for the creation of a special envoy at the U.S. State Department.

Wolf said the attacks against religious minorities are increasing, especially in Egypt and Iraq. He added that the U.S. has an obligation to intercede, especially among allies receiving billions in U.S. aid.

Wolf criticized the White House for its lack of response to the violence.

"The White House failed to even mention the word 'Christian' or 'church,' suggesting that this attack was simply part of a broader pattern of generalized violence in Iraq and not a targeted attack against an indigenous faith community," Wolf said in reference to the Oct. 31 attack on Our Lady of Salvation Catholic Church in Baghdad in which 58 Christians were killed.

Wolfe said his legislation has a strong following among Democrats and that protecting religious freedom is a bipartisan issue.

If you're like me, one country you don't typically think of when it comes to Christian persecution is Australia - however, in recent days Australia has had some interesting things happening, besides all of the flooding.

One such event that recently took place was a rally at Martin Place, here's some of the article by Paul Sheehan from The Sydney Morning Herald, explaining what happened.

The trigger for the rally at Martin Place was a cascade of events that began late last year when a list was circulated via an extremist Islamic website pledging attacks against 64 specific Coptic Orthodox churches. Four of the churches are in Sydney, where the majority of Australia's 80,000 Copts live.

At the top of the hit list was the Saints Church in Alexandria, Egypt. On New Year's Eve, as Christians left a midnight prayer service at the Saints Church, a car bomb exploded. Twenty-three Copts died and at least 95 others were wounded in the attack. Hours before, Muslim fundamentalists had gathered outside a major mosque in Alexandria chanting threats against the Coptic church. After the attack, men ran around the city shouting ''Allah Akbah!'', the battle cry of jihad.

Violent attacks against the more than 10 million Coptic Christians in Egypt have continued for almost 40 years. The violence coincided with the rise of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, the prototype of modern Islamic fascism. Violent incidents continue. On January 12, an off-duty police officer shot six Copts on a train in Egypt after identifying them as Christians.

Each year VOM hosts regional conferences around the country. At these conferences, attendees hear stories of the persecuted church and sometimes have the opportunity to meet Christians who have suffered for their faith.

This year, conferences will be held at The Voice of the Martyrs' new headquarters building in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Conferences will be held March 19, June 4, August 6 and October 8.

While at the conference, attendees may visit the new Wurmbrand Center, which includes an evolving museum space of the history of Christian persecution and VOM's work.

Don't miss your chance to learn about persecution firsthand and visit the new headquarters.